Excalibur III class
, an Excalibur III-class vessel. | registry = | class = | type = Cruiser, science vessel | affiliation = | status = Active | yard = Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards | laid = | launched = | comm = 2391 | decomm = | length = | beam = | draft = | decks = | prop = | speed = | crew = 400 | armament = Phaser arrays, photon torpedoes | defenses = Deflector shields Tritanium alloy hull | shuttle = | image2 = Excalibur patch.png | caption2 = Logo of the ''Excalibur III Development Project }} , primary designer}} The Excalibur-class (officially Excalibur III-class) was a type of starship that entered Starfleet service in 2391. History The Excalibur III-class was a multirole starship in the tradition of the , , and es before it. In peacetime it primarily served as a cargo vessel for logistical and humanitarian support missions, or as a science vessel for survey missions. In combat it had the role of a cruiser, operating as a light capital ship and frequently used in a screening role to escort heavier vessels such as the and es. The Excalibur III-class was expected to eventually supplant the aging Excelsior-class and outright ancient as the workhorses of Starfleet. In practice the design's versatility proved both strength and weakness. While it could perform competently in most roles, there was nearly always a better choice for specific missions. Its small size limited its capability for extended or complex science missions due to the lack of internal space for laboratories and equipment, and the various classes of escorts and larger cruiser designs such as the , Galaxy-class, and outperformed it in combat. On the other hand, it also responded better to mission creep and unexpected circumstances than more specialized designs, and due to its smaller size and crew complement it was much cheaper to operate than the bigger starships. The first several ships of the class, excluding the lead vessel , were named after from the , but following the the theme was broken with the . Due to the rise in hostilities with the Klingon Empire culminating in the Third Federation-Klingon War in 2405, the Excalibur III-class proved short-lived and was taken out of production in 2403. It was replaced in the lineup by the more capable in 2405. Technical information Physical arrangement The Excalibur III-class was deliberately reminiscent of the heavy cruiser of 150 years earlier. Structurally it consisted of a circular, domed saucer connected by a slender neck to a roughly cylindrical secondary hull that contained Main Engineering. The s were long, slender, and triangular, attached to the secondary hull by thin, upward- and aft-curved s. Propulsion systems The improved warp core of the Excalibur III-class gave it the power to extend its shields to protect friendly ships without affecting its own operations, an improvement that would be duplicated on subsequent construction and refits throughout Starfleet. Tactical systems The Excalibur III-class mounted forward and aft phaser arrays and torpedo launchers. Its standard ordnance for the latter were photon torpedoes, but like all ships constructed since the its torpedo tubes were compatible with quantum torpedoes. Its defenses included improved deflector shield generators and a tough tritanium alloy hull that rendered the vessel surprisingly durable. Subclasses Vesper The Vesper subclass was designed alongside the Excalibur class as part of the Modular Design Program. In developing the Vesper class, Starfleet engineers took the basic design of the , which was the basis of the new Excalibur class, and applied some of the design principles from the old . Exeter Named to honor the 400 crew members of the USS Exeter who were killed by a biological agent in 2268, the Exeter subclass was an application of early 25th century technological developments and design principles to the Excalibur class. Ships commissioned Category:Federation starship classes Category:Starship classes Gallery External links Category:Federation starship classes Category:Starship classes Category:Excalibur III class starships